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Community Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Council Aids
Tri-County Nonprofits with Mission-Based Work
Published: April 18, 2024 at
11:30 a.m.
By: Press Release from Northern New York Community
Foundation
Community Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Council Aids
Tri-County Nonprofits with Mission-Based Work
Five Local Organizations Will Share $5,000 in Funding
to Strengthen Efforts
 WATERTOWN — Five North
Country nonprofit organizations will share $5,000 in grant support to strengthen
their missions and work thanks to recent awards from the Youth Philanthropy
Council of the Northern New York Community Foundation.
The Council and
its executive committee selected the five organizations based on each
nonprofit’s mission, success in achieving goals, demonstration of fiscal
responsibility, sustainability, and formal presentation. Each of the
following tri-county organizations were awarded a $1,000 grant to help with
a wide range of community programs and projects:
Children’s Home
of Jefferson County (CHJC), Watertown. CHJC operates the SoZo Teen Center. The SoZo
Teen Center focuses on health and wellness, academics, job readiness, life
skills, and civic engagement. Staff members work to help local youth become
productive and healthy adults.
Double Play
Sports Community Center, Lowville. For more than a decade, Double Play has
been an all-encompassing health and wellness organization focused on
improving the quality of life for Lewis County residents and surrounding
communities. Its programming is centered on enrichment, education,
recreation, and social activities for children, teens, seniors, and
families.
Food Bank of
Central New York, Syracuse. For almost 40 years, the Food Bank has
focused its mission on eliminating hunger in collaboration with 300
community organizations across 11 counties in Central and Northern New
York. Locally, the organization supports emergency food programs at food
pantries, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters across Northern New York.
Jefferson
Community College Center for Community Studies, Watertown. The
Center has been a valuable community assessment tool for more than 20
years. Research and data gathered through annual surveys help to inform the
tri-county region on a variety of community assets and needs.
St. Lawrence Land
Trust, Canton. The Land Trust works to protect privately owned open space
through voluntary means within the watersheds of rivers that flow north out
of the Adirondack Mountains to the St. Lawrence River. It works with
willing landowners to conserve ecologically, culturally, and recreationally
important elements of the landscape, while maintaining private ownership of
the land.
“It is both
encouraging and inspiring to see these young adults explore the role they
can and will play in leading our communities now and in the future,” said Rande
S. Richardson, Community Foundation executive director. “These grants
are also a way for them to understand the responsibility of stewarding
funds on behalf of others while gaining a greater understanding of the work
and mission of local charitable organizations.”
This is the
fourth year the Youth Philanthropy Council has awarded mission-based grants
to nonprofits serving tri-county residents, which is in addition to the
Council’s annual grantmaking program.
Youth
Philanthropy Council Grants Committee Chair Ella Smith said the
Council begin its grantmaking effort with a review of more than 150
Northern New York Community Foundation partner organizations before selecting
five nonprofits that students believe will educate Council members and
benefit the community.
“This selection
process involves researching the mission and impact of each organization as
well as considering the needs of the community,” Miss Smith said. “This
collaboration helps the Council members learn about effective philanthropic
practices, understand the local nonprofit landscape, and make informed decisions
about where to allocate their resources for maximum impact.”
Council members
are now reviewing more than two-dozen proposals for up to $20,000 in
funding that will be announced in June. Each year, the Council provides
support to a wide range of agencies, not limited to youth programs, that
serve tri-county residents for projects or initiatives that positively
impact the quality of life in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.
Last spring, the Council awarded seven grants totaling $20,000 in support
to nonprofit organizations that serve residents of the tri-county region.
The Youth
Philanthropy Council and its grant program is made possible by annual gifts
made to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund and
support from Watertown Savings Bank, the Renzi Family Charitable
Foundation of the Northern New York Community Foundation, RBC Wealth
Management of Watertown, and the Mart Liinve
Family Charitable Fund of the of the Northern New York Community
Foundation.
This year’s Youth
Philanthropy Council includes 18 student delegates, representing Lyme
Central School, General Brown, South Jefferson, and Watertown
high schools. Representatives from each school district are: Lyme Central School: Rosamond Hunt, junior.
General Brown High School: McKenna Lee, senior; Colden Marks,
junior; and Olivia Wisner, senior. South Jefferson High School: Jack
Mangan, senior; and Watertown High: Jack Adams, junior; Justin
Draught, junior; Hannah Eldridge, junior; Harper Lane,
junior; Mia Kelly, junior; Vincent Knapp, junior; Bennett
Pistner, junior; Anastaja Smith, junior; Ella Smith,
junior; Finley Swartz, junior; Olivia Urf,
senior; Sienna Virga, junior; and Maya Voss, senior.
The Youth
Philanthropy Council was chartered in 2010 to promote positive youth
development and engage young people in meaningful activities that build
their leadership skills while educating them about community philanthropy
and its impact on Northern New York. Since its inception 14 years ago, the
Council has awarded nearly 135 grants to nonprofit organizations in the
tri-county area, totaling $230,070 in support. Nearly 150 students from
seven different tri-county high schools have served as Council members.
PHOTO: The Youth
Philanthropy Council of the Northern New York Community Foundation Class of
2023-24.
About the
Northern New York Community Foundation
Since 1929, the
Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and
enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson,
Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.
Through
partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and
generous families and individual donors, the Community Foundation awards
grants and scholarships from an endowment and collection of funds that
benefit the region. Its commitment to donors helps individuals achieve
their charitable objectives now and for generations to come by preserving
and honoring legacies of community philanthropy while inspiring others.
The Community
Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors,
professional advisors and nonprofit organizations.
It also works to bring people together at its permanent home in the
Northern New York Philanthropy Center to discuss challenges our communities
face and find creative solutions that strengthen the region and make it a
great place to live, work, and play.
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